I'll Wait For You In A Field Of ForgetMeNots
by Ayaka Midnight
Summary: Bound by fate, Cursed by love, Doomed apart. The ESP starts to mess with Tsubasa and Misaki's lives, intent in breaking them apart. They are thrown into a world of manipulation and deceit to a point where they can't even trust each other.
1. Prologue

**A/N: ****This fanfic takes place after chapter 95 when Tsubasa disappears. All events prior to chapter 95 have already happened, but afterwards is my own version (although I have added in a few events as well).**

**DISCLAIMER: If I did own Gakuen Alice it wouldn't be as amazing as it is.**

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**Prologue**

Misaki runs desperately. _I have to make it. Why can't I run faster, dammit!_ There is no place to hide from the ruthless murderer following her so closely from behind. But there is one place where Misaki will be protected by a strong force – a place where blue and purple bloom. _I have to get there. For Tsubasa…_

But that safe haven is far away. She hasn't even cleared the Elementary School Division yet. Whilst she is still in this building, her enemy is at an advantage.

Three armed guards are blocking the end of the east-wing corridor. The polished floor squeaks as Misaki turns on her heels and bolts towards west-wing. She creates a doppelganger and sends it noisily down another corridor to throw her enemy off her trail. In her haste she doesn't notice two guards quietly following behind.

As she rounds the corner, three more guards before her close in, clubs at the ready in their hands. Misaki quickly spins, coming face to face with the two burly guards cutting off her escape. _Shit_. Her heart drums a fast-paced rhythm as she wonders: _How much longer until the end?_

Acknowledging the fact that she cannot overpower the guards, Misaki dives into the only opening: a classroom. She is playing right into her enemy's hand. Misaki's sweaty fingers slip a few times as she locks the door. _Now the area is secure for at least a little while._ Unbeknown to her, there is another entrance to the classroom, hidden behind a plain-coloured store cupboard.

Rushing to the window and frantically pushing it open, Misaki peers down the three-storey height. The ground seems to be mocking her, daring her to break a leg or two. _It's risky but I should be able to make it if I go down carefully and slowly. _But just as she contemplates this, a creak is heard.

Her head shoots up and she whirls around, her back now to the window. She had not believed it could be possible, but her heart starts to thrum even faster. _What was that? _

A menacing chuckle travels across the room. It vibrates through Misaki. It chills her like an icy arctic blizzard. It is moments before the end now. Misaki knows this, and knows that her only chance is through the window. _No time to go carefully. I'll just have to hope for the best._ But her enemy has already anticipated this. Two guards, built like football players, roughly grab her, their fingers digging painfully into her skin like eagle claws. She cannot defeat them; they are too strong. She can do nothing. Misaki is trapped.

"Finally accepted your fate, Misaki?" The voice is as silky as satin, hinting at sinister pleasure.

Misaki spits in the direction of the voice. "Principal."

The man in a boy's body smiles at the girl, seemingly pleased with his capture. "You are a disgrace and a threat to the entire school. I do not want to do this, but it is the only choice for someone like _you_. I am only doing this in best interest for the Academy." Although the words are strung together with sincerity, their meaning is hollow and false.

"Oh _please_! Save your lies for people who actually believe them, you evil _bastard_!!" Misaki's yell echoes through the room, wiping the Elementary School Principal's smile off like a cloth.

"I wouldn't talk like that if I were you. You are walking a _very _thin line, Misaki." The Principal intends to frighten Misaki, but she has played this game many a time and stands unafraid. "Enter, Persona." At the mention of this name, Misaki knows her fate. She is going to die.

Her mind recoils at the thought, as if slapped. Misaki wants to run, to take back all her rebellious deeds in exchange for her life._ No!! I'm not ready for this! I don't want to die!!_ And Persona will have no mecry; death will be agonizing. But her heart stands true. _I have to keep strong, even now facing death. _Misaki decides to show no fear nor struggle; her dignity remains.

"Any last words, Misaki? Not that anyone will hear you." chuckles the Principal, prolonging her death to increase the tension.

"You bastard. One day someone will get their revenge. You won't get away with this forever!" her voice does not waver and for that she is proud.

The Principal laughs at the threat, looking down at Misaki as if she were a mouse trying to fight an elephant. "You mean Tsubasa? He won't be avenging you, I'll have you know. No one will. No one will know of your _'heroic' _deeds. You will be remembered as the dirt on my shoe, which coincidentally you are. You are on your own, Misaki."

Misaki refuses to believe this. All that she had done must have amounted to _something_. She refuses to die for nothing. But deep inside she knows what the Principal told the truth. After all, it happened once before. It happened to Yukihara-sensei, Mikan-chan's father.

Droplets of water well up in her eyes but Misaki does not cry. She does not show weakness. Instead she closes her eyes and conjures up an image of forget-me-nots. Misaki almost thinks that she can smell the familiar scent of the blue and purple blooms. It reminds her of one face; someone so precious. _Goodbye, the world, goodbye. Tsubasa, I'm sorry... One day we will still keep our promise. Until that day, I'll wait for you in a field of forget-me-nots. So look for me there..._

Misaki's eyes open slowly, still radiant with determination.

And Persona strides forward to kill her.

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**A/N: This prologue is similar to the prologues of Twilight - a bit from the end at the beginning. The next chapter will start from chapter 95 in the manga like I said. Thankyou for reading! Please review and give me constructive criticism as to how I can improve.**

**~Ayaka Midnight~**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:**** Hi, I am incredibly sorry for not updating in... well, months. Please forgive me. But the good thing is that I have already planned the next three chapters or so. And this is a **_**long**_** chapter. This chapter starts from chapter 95 (this is the third time I have said that =/ ) Please enjoy...**

**IMPORTANT NOTES, READ BEFORE READING (LOL):**

**Sarino (Frizzy) – has telekinesis alice. **She can move objects around her with her mind.

**Yasujiro-sensei – has wind alice****.** Quite self-explanatory. I thought that I would add in another elemental control alice since there is already water (Nobara), fire (Natsume) and lightning (Jinno-sensei). Yasujiro-sensei is in the ESP's pocket.

**Toshusai-sensei – has control alice. **His alice has similar functions to that of a remote control: he can rewind real-life scenes, pause and play them when he chooses, and can even fast-forward to peek at the future (that only lasts for a limited time period and uses up incredible amounts of power). He is also with the ESP.

I created the two senseis because I needed teachers – other than Persona – to be working for the ESP. None of the real characters really fitted the criteria.

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Gakuen Alice or its amazingly drawn and created characters. However I **_**do**_** own Frizzy, Blondey and Toad, and Yasujiro-sensei and Toshusai-sensei (who are all crappy anyway =P )**

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**Chapter 1 - Memories Like Flint that Sparks a Fire  
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Over the window sill she lent with a sigh. Misaki stared with blank eyes at the silver threads of rain whipping against the Special Ability class window pane. Her mind was a million and one miles away, wandering on a path grown with memories back to the day of the promise…

**-_In Misaki's memories...-_**

"Can I look yet, Basa?" asked the eight-year-old Misaki. Tsubasa's hands were clasped over her eyes as they stumbled forward on the uneven, barely discernible trail through the dense forest that surrounded the Alice Academy.

"No, you can't. I'll tell you when." replied Tsubasa.

Misaki sighed. She had skipped class for the very first time for this and was excited but… it was taking a _long_ time to get there.

"Tsubasa, this had better be one very special place." complained Misaki.

"Oh, it is! You'll like it, I know you will!" enthused the indigo-haired boy.

"Since I'll like it so much, maybe you could tell me what it looks like?"

The boy chuckled. "No, it's going to be a surprise. You'll just have to be patient!" declared Tsubasa, whilst knowing that patience was a thing that Misaki was terribly lacking.

She groaned, and then said indignantly "Can I look now, then?"

"Nope."

"How about now?"

"No."

"I'm gonna punch you in a minute! Now?"

"No."

"_Now_?"

"Yes!" Tsubasa laughed as his hands fell from her eyes. "_Now_ you can look!"

Misaki's eyes fluttered open in eagerness. The sight on which she looked was one of nature's best.

They stood atop the tallest hill in the woodland, and one could see the pine-covered dips and rises of the forest for miles around – Misaki felt as if she were at the top of the world. An unbroken translucent blue was spread across the high, arched ceiling of Nature. Far away, the faint sound of a stream giggling as it snaked through the woods could be heard. However, as Misaki's eyes fell upon the field, she realised why Tsubasa had brought her here.

Untouched by human hands, the small clearing had a wild air about it: the long grass was a vibrant green and filled with timeless youth, and ivy entwined the wide, soft brown trunks of the surrounding pines whilst moss claimed the boulders and rocks that were scattered here and there.

Sturdy against the ever-present breeze, a Sakura tree stood in the centre, its rough, gnarled bark suggesting that it had survived an eternity. The branches, showered with quivering blossoms, fanned out as though the tree were an umbrella sheltering the field from the harshness of Nature. A lone sparrow flitted in a hollow, whistling a sweet and rhythmless song.

But the real jewel of the field was this: dotted in abundance amidst the swaying grass sprouted many, many forget-me-nots. Hundreds and thousands. Purple-tinted sky-blue blooms richly carpeting the field's floor like a detailed, embroidered blanket. It was beautiful. Everything was beautiful. And the scent too: a subtle, spring aroma that playfully tickled Misaki's nostrils.

The forget-me-nots seemed to have a deep yet gentle meaning to them. The flowers were like a youthful promise of forever; the small-headed, delicate forget-me-nots whispered of innocence and love into the wind. Misaki heard these whispers with her heart; she smiled.

"Misaki? What d'ya think?" queried Tsubasa, a little anxious for Misaki hadn't uttered a word yet.

"It's beautiful." she breathed. Turning, she beamed at Tsubasa, her face alight with wonder. "I love it. It's perfect!"

Tsubasa then laughed merrily and replied "I _told_ you that you'd like it! This forget-me-not field will be forever _ours_ and no one else's. Come on, let's climb the Sakura tree and eat lunch. Those dinner-ladies are really stupid – they didn't even notice that I stole a second helping at breakfast!"

And so the two youngsters spent their day climbing and eating and playing and talking and gossiping and teasing one another and laughing until it was four hours past noon. Contently, the pair now sat at the foot of the jagged trunk, enjoying the lazy afternoon sun that filtered through the branches, silence surrounding them like a warm aura. Silence between the best friends wasn't awkward of any sorts; if anything, it brought them even closer.

Misaki lifted her brown eyes uneasily as she broke the silence. "Um… Tsubasa?"

He turned, the sun tinting his indigo hair a lighter blue than usual. "What is it?"

"I'm not really sure I should tell you this…"

This puzzled Tsubasa: they told each other _everything_. "Why not? Hmm… Misaki looks worried. Y'know, you shouldn't worry about things by yourself. So tell me."

"Well, I was thinking about how we are only eight years old and right now we're happy at the Academy and think its great and all that… or _thought_ that."

Tsubasa was mystified. "What d'ya mean?"

Her hands twisted in her lap and a frown hovered on her lips. "I overheard something." she replied hesitantly.

"So? We always eavesdrop, and find out really funny things about our classmates. We never feel guilty, so why do you suddenly feel so bad?" said Tsubasa, misunderstanding Misaki's point.

"No, you idiot. I don't feel _guilty_ about what I heard. Just… frightened."

"Frightened of what?" Tsubasa sat in a state of confusion, trying in vain to think of what Misaki heard that was so terrible. Eventually, he gave up. "Tell me everything."

She took a deep breath before starting. "It happened yesterday, when the clock struck two o'clock. Remember, we were in Central Town, the time when I wondered off and lost you and the others. I didn't know where I was going; no one was around. All the shops were closed in that area of the town, and I was beginning to get anxious. But when I turned the corner I saw the lights blinking from one store. The front door was locked, so silently I walked to the back. That door was locked too, and I was about to leave, when I heard them." Misaki whispered. Her voice was slowly losing volume, and the boy had to lean forward to catch her words before they dithered away in the breeze.

"I recognised their voices: Sakurano-senpai and Imai-senpai. They were discussing the darker areas of the Academy: the Elementary School Principal." As she recounted the experience, the frown on her face grew acquired more depth. "They spoke of the Principal's evil deeds, of how Principal forced a pupil with a fatal Alice to kill his favourite, good-natured sensei. They spoke of how the Principal then chased the sensei's lover from the school, a girl whom Sakurano-senpai and Imai-senpai admired greatly. They spoke of how the Principal manipulated that 'murderous' pupil to bend to his will and now that pupil is the most feared and dangerous man in the school. People now know him as Persona. He controls the dangerous ability class and forces them on life-threatening missions for the benefit of the Principal's shady business."

At this point Misaki paused and locked her gaze into Tsubasa's deep blue eyes, a fearful expression plastered on her face. "Then they said that although most of the Academy knew nothing of this, that the Principal and Persona would control some Alices' lives as they grew up. Especially those with abilities useful to him… and those who know too much. That's why I didn't think I should tell you. Tsubasa, now we _know_. What if he finds out and comes after us? He's _evil_. He has the power and authority to manipulate us and if he suddenly takes interest in our lives, we will lose everything! Everything good will be gone! I don't want that to happen, Tsubasa! Do you?"

The whole time Tsubasa had sat quietly, intently listening to Misaki's story. Now he pulled her in a hug to comfort her.

"Even if the Principal and Persona come after us, we'll still have each other right? Nothing can pull us apart."

Misaki's auburn eyes slowly lifted to his, her features puckered with worry. "Promise me?"

"I promise. I promise over the forget-me-nots that nothing will come in between us."

"I promise too." she said. _I hope your right, Tsubasa, I hope your right. _Misaki added in her anguished thoughts.

And so their promise was sealed in fate.

**-_Back to Reality...-_**

Misaki's heart gave a small jolt. _Tsubasa, you said that nothing will ever come between us! Yet you going off on a mission and not coming back, doesn't that breach our promise? Tsubasa, you idiot! How can you leave me like this?_ She bowed her head and closed her eyes, as if when she opened them Tsubasa would've magically appeared.

A tap on her shoulder jerked her out of her reverie. Misaki spun in pointless hope, only to be disappointed by Megane.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he sympathised.

Misaki painted a fake smile over her sadness and replied (a little too cheerfully) "Couldn't be better! I mean, I'm just worried about Mikan and all, since she is so upset. I mean, why should I be worried about anything else? Tsubasa's going to come back, and everything will go back to normal! That's what's going to happen right? And I'd be stupid to say that he won't. Because he will! Everything is going to be fine! I just wish Mikan would believe it, because it's true! I mean, _I _believe it's true! Everything will be _fine_! Just fine, right?"

Megane gave her a soft smile. "Misaki, calm down. Don't work yourself up into a state like that."

The girl heaved a sigh and leaned against the wall for support. "You're right. It's just, I feel like I've been hit by a truck and am now having to carry another person to the hospital."

Megane nodded, understanding what she meant. "Well, try to keep your head. Everything will solve itself with time."

Sighing, Misaki answered, "But is that really true?"

"Come on. I called you 'cause Special class has ended. You weren't showing any sign of noticing this, so I thought I'd tell you."

Standing up to go, Misaki muttered thanks. The two of them wandered out the door and mingled through the crowd of Alices eager to get back to their friends. Misaki and Megane walked in silence, and before them gossiped a group of three friends.

"Did you hear? Andou-san has mysteriously disappeared." The first girl commented, her mass of frizzy hair bouncing as she turned to the other two. At the mention of his name, Misaki's heart twisted a little.

"How could anyone _not_ know? I mean, there are _soo_ many rumours circulating the academy concerning that." sneered the second, a willowy girl with a blonde bob, not a hair out of place. She seemed the kind of person people take an immediate dislike to.

The third girl, a plump figure with bamboo-thin legs and a flat head – somewhat resembling a toad, ignored Blondey and answered the frizzy-haired girl. "No, I haven't heard. What happened to him?"

"Well, it's kinda sad." replied Frizzy.

_Too right it is,_ thought Misaki miserably. Megane threw a glance her way to see if she was alright; each word relating to Tsubasa's disappearance was like a little nudge of melancholy.

"_I_ know what happened," boasted Blondey, "You know, when Andou-san got called to the Elementary Principal's office a few days ago, right after he was transferred into the dangerous ability class?"

"Yeah, go on!" encouraged Toad eagerly. Misaki didn't want to hear the remains of the conversation, but the trio were blocking her and Megane's path in the corridor.

"Well, apparently the Elementary School Principal wanted to discuss his behaviour over the months – 'cause he has been extremely bad – but of course Andou-san was paranoid and delusional. That's what got him into the dangerous ability class anyway. So when Andou-san arrived, he refused to listen to anything the Principal would say and kept his hand behind his back – evidently holding something there. And then – here's the worst part…"

Toad was literally jumping up and down with anticipation. Misaki was literally donning a baseball bat and smacking their heads off like bowling pins. All the lies! It could only get worse.

Frizzy spoke next: "Just put her out of her misery and finish the story."

"Ok," smiled Blondey gleefully. "What happened next was truly awful. Andou-san revealed his hand, and in it was… a lethal, glinting _knife_. He went ballistic, trying to injure the Principal and others in the room. Luckily he had only made futile attempts before he was captured. His latest act proved he was too dangerous to be let out among other Alices, so the Principal was forced to lock Andou-san away."

"Oh my God." Toad shuddered. "I'm glad they did. I would be scared out of my socks if an _evil, dangerous _person like that was wondering around the grounds!"

That was the straw that broke the camel's back – a fragile back I might add. Her legendary temper snapped and she lunged forward. Misaki's hands connected roughly with Toad's back, sending her sprawling onto the floor. She gave Toad's plump stomach a savage kick to keep her down.

"How _dare_ you speak of Tsubasa like that!" yelled Misaki, "How _dare_ you speak as if you know everything!" Megane was staring in startled worry at Misaki; the least he wanted was to attract attention that might cause a new bout of rumours, and get Misaki in trouble.

Blondey and Frizzy were gaping in horror at Misaki as angry as a caged wild animal, and Toad on the floor wailing so terribly that her face had turned beetroot.

Launching a flying kick to Blondey's perfect head, an enraged scream escaped Misaki's lungs.

"Nobody knows a _thing_! You're all liars! You believe anything you hear, you _rotten_ _bitches!_"

Over Toad, Blondey's body landed with a thud, her own high-pitched screech joining the cacophony of Toad's wail. A crowd of nosy spectators gathered around, but stood tentatively a few metres away. Frizzy was warily backing away from the scene.

"EEEEEEEEEKK! _Sarino_! Use your _alice_!" shrieked Blondey, her voice still several octaves high. Megane swore the doors were starting to rattle at the sound.

Frizzy – whose name actually happened to be Sarino – replied: "O-oh, okay." and squeezed her eyes shut in concentration. Suddenly, a baseball bat flew out of a startled boy's hands and swung in a wide arc; it was aiming directly at Misaki's head.

Yelping, Misaki dodged just in time and zoned in on the last of the gossiping trio: Frizzy. The poor girl inhaled in a sharp, frightened manner like a rabbit caught in headlights. With the invisible hands of her alice she drew the baseball bat up close.

"Don't think you can use the same trick on me twice! HIIYAAAH!" Misaki jumped in a very un-ladylike manner, her foot smashing into the bat with such force that it rained in splinters to the floor.

"Next it'll be your head, bitch!" Practically hyperventilating now – and scared almost for her life – Frizzy decided that she was no match for this _animal_ and sprinted away as fast as her un-aerodynamic hair would allow her.

Whispers were now circulating the crowd like rustlings of paper. Terrible rumours no doubt – Megane was practically hyperventilating too. Misaki now turned to address the spectators.

"You are all rotten, gullible _fools_! You believe everything you hear and ground people beneath your foot like dirt! Well you don't know a damn thing. The truth is this: the Elementary School Principal is the one at fault here!" The crowd gasped at this: _no one_ insulted or accused the Principals and got away lightly. But Misaki carried on undeterred.

"He _manipulates_ students to bend to his will. He forced Tsubasa into the dangerous ability class because Tsubasa was finding out all the dirty little secrets of the Academy, and the Principal didn't like it very much. So he sent Tsubasa on a life-threatening mission and when Tsubasa – surprise! surprise! – _didn't _come back… Why, what a perfect opportunity to make up some _filthy_ lies about him! Because that's what the Principal does. He's a lying, rotten, manipulative _bastar_–"

An abrupt gust of wind snatched the words away as the throng of alices parted to make way for a certain person.

"That's enough, Misaki. You shouldn't accuse people of being liars when _you_ are the one who's tongue is spinning a web of false words this very moment." The cold, threatening voice of Yasujiro-sensei had the opposite effect. Angered once more, Misaki growled like a chained dog. However, she was not chained and charged head first into Yasujiro-sensei's stomach.

"AARGGHH! HARADA-SAN!" yelled the sensei whilst crumpling to the ground like a fist crumpling paper.

"Take that! You're just another one of _his_ manipulative scum!" Misaki mustered her strength and leaped into the air, aiming a flying kick to his stomach again when all in a moment… she was suspended in the air, unable to move.

"Finally. Your madness has been stopped." The other sensei sitting snugly in the ESP had entered the scene. "You're just like your mad friend. Paranoid and blind with rage at nothing."

Misaki twitched at this but, frozen in Toshusai-sensei's alice, she could not attack.

"Just look at the mess you've made and the lies you have spilled." continued Toshusai-sensei, "We have no choice but to take you to the Elementary School Principal. You have proved yourself a dangerous pupil: expect no light punishment."

And with that he released Misaki from being paused in time, only to take hold of her with a grip of iron. As Misaki was marched down the corridor the whispers picked up again. Her anger fizzled out when she thought about where she was headed and what she had just done.

_I'm hopeless, aren't I. I was trying to protect Tsubasa, but all I have done is made everything worse… I'm so sorry…_

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**A/N: ****I feel the end of this chapter turned out a bit sloppy. But it's late at night and I want to publish this right now, not tomorrow morning. Misaki's language gets worse in this. That is why I rated this T - I knew that she would get angry at one point or another and start spouting swear words lol. If you want to review, review please! If you don't want to... no comment. Constructive criticism much appreciated.**

**~Ayaka Midnight~**


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry that there has been such a long wait, but I am resuming this fanfic! I had left it for dead and given up, but recently regained interest and have decided to continue. I will wholeheartedly try to update regularly, and will hopefully complete this fanfic in the near future =)**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gakuen Alice. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if the actual manga-ka wrote a fanfic about an alternative ending to her/his own story... would they have to write the disclaimer? Sorry I have weird and random thoughts ^.^**

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**Chapter 2: Despair, Oblivious to the Hope That is There.**

The stool's splintering wood clawed Misaki's skin; anguish clawed her mind. She was the image of anxiety: a quiver in her knees, a bowed head, twisting hands, and a whirlwind of twisting thoughts. A despairing "What have I done?" fell from her lips and bruised the broken silence. Once, fiery fury had claimed her and motivated her, but a plague of fear had paralysed the fire; and rightly so.

For sitting on one of the five crude stools outside the office of the singularly most powerful, manipulating, malevolent individual in the entire school meant one thing only: trouble. And Misaki's enraged outburst had unfortunately accumulated a lot.

A sigh shuddered as it escaped the girl's breathing. If you gambled with truth against the lies, you should be prepared for the consequences. Misaki had rolled the dice, but the outcomes still troubled her.  
_The Consequences of Telling the Truth:  
_1) The Elementary School Principal would not be happy.  
2) That meant that she would receive punishment for the dire crime of upsetting the Principal.  
3) And afterwards she would be watched like a hawk for any excuses to punish her more.  
4) To this aim traps would be planted to capture her and drag her down into the darkness of the Principal's control.  
5) Therefore she would have to be alert at all times and watch out for these.

But the most hopeless one of all was this:  
6) She could no longer formulate endless plans to protect Tsubasa – she would be stuck in the mud as much as he was.

Yes. She would be helpless and defenceless. "_What have I done?"_

Yellow light abruptly pierced the hallway's perpetual dimness as the grand double doors were thrust open. Like the crack of a whip, Misaki's bowed head snapped up. Marching out, Toshusai-sensei came, shackling the girl's arm with his large hand. His grip was as fierce as an eagle's, like talons ripping into an innocent, frantic lamb. The girl felt far too much like the lamb than her liking as he dragged her into the office, not troubling to avoid sharp furniture corners on the way.

And there she was shoved, Toshusai-sensei's hand imprinted on her arm, in the centre of the Principal's office. She was bruised, battered and utterly upset.

Meanwhile, there were small happenings occurring in a land forgotten and left for dead, the haunting memories of it abandoned by all those who had lived through its terrible destruction. Which is a shame really. For these small happenings are what picks up our story and sets it in motion, so we can watch it tumble and turn and unravel at our leisure. So picture this:

One body lies, unconscious at her feet. Glancing at her companion, she asks, "Just this one? Please?"

The man sighs. "You know that we have to obey orders. No distractions."

"But—!"

"No!" He interrupts. He earns a glare from the woman, who tilts her head upwards to look him in the eye. Chocolate brown clashes with icy blue. A handful of frozen seconds pass. The ice melts as he heaves another sigh. "I know you can't bear to leave anyone in this state, but you can't save them all you know. We have to get our priorities right."

Disappointedly, her eyes flicker down towards the body. The man is right, and she knows it. About to turn and walk away, she casts a long look to the body's face. And looks closer. Was it her imagination, or was the shape under the face's left eye vaguely familiar…?

The woman gasps. "I know this one! I've seen him before!" Her companion makes a – slightly – exasperated face, but she pays him no heed. "No, honestly! That time at the Academy, that time I was watching Mikan… I swear it, I saw an older boy with her. He was laughing and smiling at her, and there was a five-pointed star under his left eye. Just like this boy!"

He moved closer, his eyes squinting as he scrutinised the unconscious youth's face. "You're right!" he exclaims. Deliberating, he decides to let her win. "Go on then. If this boy is a friend of Mikan I don't see why you shouldn't."

The sun rises in her eyes as her face lights up like morning. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"You had better do it before we run out of time then." he huffs, but a secret smile tugs at his lips. After all, it was that exquisitely joyful look that had made him fall in love with her in the first place.

The woman kneels, her eyelids lowered, a flush of satisfaction painting her cheeks. The cogs of her Alice start to turn, whirring gently to revive Mikan's friend. After several minutes (this boy was almost a goner, remember) a crack in his shut eyelids breaks through the deathly concrete pale of his face. Starry, indigo eyes lie beneath, hazy in the sudden light.

"Where… Where am I…?" They always had amnesia when they awoke. Never failed to forget. Until about five seconds later…

The boy bolts upwards. "There was an explosion! Where is Natsume? And Ibaragi? I told them to escape! But… But why am I alive? I-I was caught in the explosion…? I don't understand? And w-where the hell is this place?" Where indeed? The crowd of three aren't in the charred terrain that they had been in until a few seconds ago. Swirls of red, no, blue, no, purple… swirls of a colour difficult to place and unsettling to watch fills the empty space. Otherworldly. Or maybe that is it: they really are in a place out of this world.

The woman's lips stretch into a smile; that smile so resembles Mikan's. Or maybe it's the other way round.

"I inserted a time-travelling Alice into your body to revive you. This should help you return to the Academy. I'm Azumi Yuka…" she pauses, melancholy clouding over the sunshine in her eyes. "…Mikan's mother."

"This is quite a mess you have made, Harada-kun." The Principal's voice dictated the air, invading the vast space between the floor and the lofty ceiling, invading Misaki's nerves. It was deceptively placid despite holding complete authority, and threat. He continued: "And do you know what has to be done to the one responsible for the mess?"

Leaning forward on the deep mahogany desk, the Principal intimidated Misaki through spiteful, ominous eyes. "Be punished." he spat, his words a harsh whisper.

Misaki frantically cast her eyes away, not wanting to be shattered by the intensity of his glare. Her eyes searched for security in the icy marble pillars that loomed like prison guards; in the abysmally blood-red curtains that shoved the sunlight out; in the extravagant, grand chandeliers that hung like posh old ladies watching the Academy soap opera. She found none.

The small-bodied Principal alighted from his grand chair – more a throne than a chair – and slowly began to pace around his desk.

"Do you know of the," Pause. "Dangerous Ability class?"

Misaki's eyebrows edged towards each other, reaching hands for comfort. An odour of foreboding puffed into the stale air of the office.

"I asked you a question." Like a silhouetted criminal springing out of the shadows, his voice twisted in an instant to reveal his true menace.

"Y-Yes." Misaki's mouth dried and left her throat scratching for an answer. "Yes, sir. I-I do know of the Dangerous Ability Class."

A smile warped his face. "Good." He said curtly. "Now let me tell you how pupils are chosen to be a part of the Dangerous Ability Class." He made it seem like to be _chosen_ for the Dangerous Ability Class was an honour. How satirical.

"Firstly, a mess is made. Or perhaps the pupil himself is a mess; so often the case." Slowly, the Principal started walking towards Misaki, and she found herself inconspicuously backing away. "The mess, however, is not the real problem. It is when the pupil refuses to clean up."

He was a handful of footsteps away now, closing in on the girl like a cheetah closing in on its prey. Soon he would attack.

"It is when the pupil refuses to take the blame. When the pupil refuses to take the punishment without complaints. When the pupil becomes a danger."

_A danger to what? A danger to you? So you just lock up the students who dare to threaten your position?_ Her thoughts were hot with anger; coward as she was, she would not dare to voice them.

"Fortunately, you can still amend for your wrongs." Lettered with bitterness, his words made it clear that this was very _un_fortunate. Perhaps there were only certain rules enforced by the other principals that were stopping her from being caught like a fly in the Elementary School Principal's web. A footstep echoed as he moved ever closer.

Suddenly, the Principal strode forward and gripped Misaki's already bruised arm. His eyes flicked up and enslaved the girl's in a glare. _Look away! Look away, dammit!_ She told herself frantically, but her innocent brown eyes were too weak to defy his stare.

"You are on thin ice, Harada-kun. There are things I can do to… silence you if you utter another lie. But if you are a _good_ girl, I will be most terribly pleased." Harshness had frosted his voice, but now he smiled – almost wistfully. "Yours is an interesting Alice, an interesting Alice indeed. How I would _love_ to play around with it. Such a valuable tool."

He shoved her backwards with surprising strength before sauntering back to his 'throne'. "Toshusai?"

"Yes, sir."

"Dispose of the – girl. I shall call her for another meeting at a later date." A gleeful note snuck into his voice. "Then we can decide on her punishment."

The elementary school division is the plainest out of the three buildings. But to call it plain would be like calling a peacock a pigeon. Its architecture boasted grandness, with high bay windows, impressive arched doorways and spacious hallways. And it so happened that in one spacious hallway, a certain clumsy girl just couldn't find the space to avoid bumping into someone.

"Watch where you're going, you idiot!" The shout came from an infuriated, anonymous, now bruised student.

"Oh… S… sorry." Mikan said the words, but her mind had already wandered away from the situation.

"Geez, wake up a bit." He said before stalking down the corridor. Heavily exhaling, Mikan resumed her walk to the classroom. Her footsteps were messy, zigzagging across the passage. Many would put it down to tiredness, but her eyes betrayed worry.

The sound of chaos reached out to her, stretched his hands out from the hectic classroom. She didn't even notice. Assistant-sensei was in "control" of the class and – as so often happens when Narumi-sensei is absent – everyone was charged with mischievous hyperactive energy. Yet Mikan did not even feel sorry for Assistant-sensei, not today. She was cocooned in her own worries.

She sat down with a second sigh, and brought her hands up to stare blankly at them. The memory of last night still clung to her: her skin tingling with a warm, almost hot, sensation where Natsume had held her, her eyes ringing with his words. _'I'll definitely find that guy.'_ He had promised.

Her eyes wrestled back tears. Everyone was trying so hard to make her feel better about Tsubasa-senpai's disappearance: her friends, Narumi-sensei, Misaki-senpai. Natsume. The truth was that she didn't _deserve_ their efforts. It was all her fault. Natsume was covered in wounds, yet he still came to comfort her and to make promises that where punctured with doubts. She didn't deserve any of it.

But Natsume's promise was sincere… maybe… just maybe he could find him? Her cloud of troubles broke when the door swung slowly open. Nobody noticed, with the exception of a troubled pig-tailed girl.

"Na… tsume…?" The words floated from her mouth in a feathery whisper. He stood in the arched doorway, the morning light illuminating his face. His expression made fool of his infamous "angry Black Cat" label; his eyes were weary but soft with satisfaction, his eyebrows weren't in their perpetual position of downwards, and on his lips slept a smile. Quiet, peaceful, almost invisible… but nonetheless a smile.

Mikan felt herself rising, optimism tugging her upwards as if she were a puppet. Could there be hope after all…?

* * *

**A/N: Please review! Criticism is much welcomed. To be honest, I don't think I did the Elementary School Principal very well to how he really is in the manga. Please, your thoughts will be very nice to hear! And they make me very happy =3**

**~Ayaka Midnight~**


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